I'm Fine
by GeekyGenius
Summary: Memories are amazing things. They can bring back emotions and help us re-live moments long gone. After that trial, Apollo puts on a mask. When "I'm fine" becomes nothing more than a lie, and Apollo tumbles into a pit of darkness, can anyone pull him out? When he thinks no-one understands, will he make an unexpected alliance? Spoilers for Dual Destinies.


**AN:** Hey guys! I'm GeekyGenius, and this is my newest fic about Ace Attorney. This is just a quick one shot about Apollo and Edgeworth. I wrote this while listening to 'I wish you were here' by Delta Goodrem, so you can listen to that while you read if you want. Not a songfic though.

_Disclaimer: I don't own Ace Attorney, if I did, I would already own Turnabout Reclaimed._

Set after Dual Destinies – Will contain spoilers

Miles had heard of Apollo through Wright, but he hadn't met him until that trial. That trial wasn't exactly the best of circumstances to finally meet under. Despite the obvious emotional state that Apollo was in, Miles could see that he still wanted to believe in his co-worker and was desperate for the truth. He seemed more logical than Wright, probably from being mentored by Kristoph Gavin. Miles felt that Apollo was a bit like him, except that he actually fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a defence attorney, while Miles was stuck on the other side behind a prosecutor's bench.

Miles thought over the similarities between himself and Apollo, making sure not to include liking (and wearing) red to be one of their similarities. He wore a magenta suit, thank you very much. He remembered how they had both been taken in by people of great influence in the law; himself by Manfred Von Karma, and Apollo by Kristoph Gavin. Both of their mentors turned out to have killed their fathers, though in Apollo's case, it was his step-father. Their logical approach to their job also tied them together, unlike Wright, who bluffed his way through everything. Edgeworth hadn't had his best friend murdered, but he could empathise with the pain he would have felt. After all, he had lost his friends for years while still dealing with his father's death.

Miles wasn't one to try and socialize with people, and apparently Apollo wasn't either. But after that trial, Miles knew he had to make an effort to try and get to know the younger attorney better. After all, one of his father's sayings he remembered (which also happened to be his favourite) was,_ 'Your testimony can help someone else in the same situation'. _From the way Apollo acted, Miles could tell he was feeling the same way Miles was after he was arrested. He held back a grimace as he remembered the note, 'Miles Edgeworth chooses death.' No matter what, Apollo shouldn't be left alone.

Apollo wasn't okay. He acted it, put on a mask, smiled and pretended nothing was wrong. The trial was over, and he was truly glad Athena was innocent, but he couldn't really be happy at the moment. He didn't have anything left tying him to his past anymore, apart from his bracelet. He was the only one left. He felt the hole in his heart grow with yet another loss. He quietly excused himself from the lobby and made his way outside. Not a single person questioned him as he left, and he was both glad and annoyed. He didn't want anyone to know how he was feeling, but he wanted someone to be able to see past his mask; to tell him they knew he was lying.

He wasn't really sure where he was going. All he knew was he had to leave and be alone for a while. After a while, Apollo looked up to find he was at the door to Clay's apartment. Memories flooded back to him as he opened the door and made his way to the old worn couch. Apollo fell onto it, face first, and just lay there, breathing in the familiar musty sent. He closed his eyes and let the darkness surround him as he fell back through time, going through all his memories of Clay.

He saw his last meeting with Clay, feeling like a guardian angel looking from above. Too soon, he was sent again back to his earlier memories. He could remember everything; little things he thought he had long ago forgotten came back so vivid, almost as if they were memories made only yesterday. He felt himself laughing and crying in his dream-like state, re-experiencing the jokes long forgotten, the past pain, and happiness.

Now, Apollo found himself watching the night stars with Clay. They were in high school and Clay and persuaded Apollo to study under the stars again. Textbooks and notebooks full of scribbly handwriting lay forgotten on the hillside, and the boys were lost in the sight of the night sky.

"3… 2… 1!"

Clay counted down, and both his and Apollo's eyes lit up as a shower of meteors danced across the sky.

Apollo wanted to stay immersed in the moment forever, not wanting to go back to the dreaded reality, but he was once again tossed back into even older memories. He felt like he was in a cinema, watching a movie that is cheerful, but has a sad undertone because you know at the end one of the main characters leaves. Finally, Apollo had arrived at the end of the trail. He looked up to see his first memory of when he and Clay first became friends. They were in primary school, and Clay's mother had just died. Apollo sat with Clay, and their loud cries of "I'm fine!" echoes throughout the empty space. At the sight of the last memory, Apollo hung his head. As he was rudely pulled to reality, he whispered 'I'm fine.'

Apollo sat up on Clay's couch and looked around his small apartment. Clay's stuff was still scattered around in the usual organized mess it always was. A sad smile escaped his lips as he walked over to the pillow pile, grabbing the stuffed Totoro. He threw himself back onto the couch, hugging the Totoro to his chest. He buried his head into the soft pillow, finally releasing the tears he had worked so hard to hold back in front of everyone else.

Apollo woke up on Clay's couch, hugging a soaked Totoro pillow. He looked down to find he was still in his suit, which was now wrinkled. His dreams had provided an escape from reality, and it took Apollo a while to remember that Clay was really gone. He buried his head once again in the Totoro pillow and screamed out his frustration and sadness, but this time it didn't help. Nothing could help him now, he had nothing left. He still had only just recovered from Kristoph being taken away, and he only recovered from that thanks to Clay's assistance. Now he was alone. The silence was deafly loud to Apollo's ears, and the room suddenly seemed like it belonged to a stranger. It still contained all of Clay's items, but his heart wasn't there. It was no longer a home, it was a house. It looked so clinical to Apollo. Everything that was so interesting when Clay was there suddenly turned dull. All the life had been taken from the room. Apollo grabbed the photo of himself and Clay from the coffee table and held it to his chest. Apollo wasn't sure if he could ever smile again.

It was silent at first, but soon Apollo realised that the knocking was not a part of his dream. He stumbled over to the front door, not really awake enough to wonder why anyone would be at the front door in the first place. He swung open the door, and stood there unblinking as Prosecutor Edgeworth stood in front of him.

"Hello, Mr Justice. I know we haven't talked much, but I went through something very similar when I was younger. I remember wanting someone to realise how I felt without having found out from myself telling them…. So I came to help you get through this." Miles said in the most understanding voice he could manage, looking Apollo straight in his eyes to show he was serious. His arm holding his left elbow was the only sign of his nervousness.

"Mist… Mister… Mister Edgeworth…" Apollo stumbled over his words as his voice shook. He invited Miles inside, motioning to him to shut the door, and went straight back to hugging Totoro on the couch. A stray tear streamed down his face. He had completely lost control of his mask now, and he had no hope of getting it back anytime soon. Miles went to sit beside Apollo on the couch, placing an uncertain hand on the attorney's shoulder for reassurance. Apollo glanced up, not bothering to attempt a fake smile. One questioned burned in his mind. He wiped his eyes, than spoke.

"How did you know?" Apollo's voice was all choked up, and Miles could now see the traces of the many tears that had ran down his face.

"I wanted someone to come to me when I went through a similar situation. No own should be alone when they have lost everyone close to them." Miles' voice was sad and his eyes were unfocused, and Apollo could tell he was remembering his own past. A single tear ran down his cheek, and his openness and understanding brought Apollo some hope. Almost as if Miles could read his mind, he pulled the younger attorney into a light side-hug.

"Thank you." Apollo mumbled into Miles' shoulder.

'You're not alone." Miles kept on repeating to Apollo, playing over like a song on repeat, and finally, Apollo believed that maybe he wasn't as alone as he thought.

It was a long time before Miles released Apollo from his hug. He offered Apollo some tea before heading to the kitchen to make to cups. Apollo got up and went to the bathroom. He washed his face with water and made a quick detour to Clay's bedroom to borrow a t-shirt and jeans. When Apollo walked out, he saw Miles sitting on the couch with two cups of tea in front of him. He went over and sat beside him, reaching for his cup and taking a long sip.

"Thank you, Mister Edgeworth." Apollo managed to get out.

"Please, don't thank me. Someone had to be here for you." Miles politely replied. They sat in a comfortable silence as they drank their tea, Apollo feeling a bit better than before.

"Tell me about Clay." Miles asked softly, and Apollo smiled at the request.

"Clay was my best friend; he had helped me through so much. He was the one that helped me get over Mr Gavin, you know." Apollo smiled; glad to be able to tell someone else about his memories of Clay.

"Is that so?" Miles asked.

"Yeah." Apollo continued, "We met back in primary school. Clay was crying because his mum died, and I made him feel better by telling him I was an orphan and never knew my mum or dad. Well, what actually made him feel better was when I got him to yell 'I'm fine!'"

"Wright told me that was your catchphrase." Miles joked with a smile on his lips.

"Yeah, we used to say it whenever something bad happened; it always made us feel better." Apollo's eyes began to sparkle once again, and as he talked more about his time with Clay, he began to smile and laugh more naturally. By the end of the day, Apollo was almost back to normal.

"Are you staying here tonight, Mr Justice?" Miles asked Apollo.

"Yes, I think I might stay here a few more days. I need to go through Clay's old stuff anyway." Apollo replied, "… And please call me Apollo." He added as an afterthought.

"Fine, Apollo, would you like me to help with sorting Mr Terran's belongings? Remember you can call me if you need help with anything."

"I can do it myself. Thank you so much, for the offer, Mr Edgeworth, and everything. I really don't know how I would have gotten over anything without your help." Miles smiled at the sincere comment.

"Please, call me Miles, if we are dropping formalities. I am just glad to be able to have met someone who can appreciate a great cup of tea and think logically. I think we will get along well." Miles said with a confident smirk, before heading to leave.

"Oh, Apollo?" Miles turned around and addressed the attorney.

"Yes?"

"Why didn't you try yelling 'I'm fine' this time?" Miles asked gently, his voice giving away his curiosity. A sad smile crossed across Apollo's face as he gazed toward the ceiling.

"Because this time there was no point in lying to myself or to Clay. All the other times, it was true. We would be fine, eventually. But this time…. This time was different. I wasn't sure if I was going to come out of the situation 'fine'. And I couldn't bring myself to say it when I knew that for the first time, everything might not be fine." Apollo spoke softly, his eyes so intense but unfocused at the same time, his voice quiet but came across so strong and loud. "But now…" Apollo continued, his voice even quieter, as he looked up at Miles, "I think I might just be fine." Apollo smiled.

"I am truly glad." Miles smiled as he replied, before giving a wave goodbye. "I should better be going. Goodbye, Apollo, I know everything will be fine."

"Goodbye Miles." Apollo whispered, shutting the door behind him, and smiling. "You know, Clay, I think things may turn out fine after all." Apollo whispered, looking once again to the ceiling. He knew that he had made a friendship that would last for a long time to come, and that he could trust Miles. Clay may be gone, but his memories would always remain. And now, he had someone to share those memories with. And, Apollo knew that someday soon, Miles would tell him more about his situation also.

The End

**AN:** Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! The question for the reviews is: Would you rather get a new Apollo Justice AA game or have AA:Investigation 2 translated by Capcom?


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